As it is known, the exposure to an excessive heat of any kind causes on the human epidermis, and often also on the underlying tissues, situations of pathological alteration and lesions the seriousness of which varies according to the duration and the intensity of the exposure, and to the sensitivity of the single individual.
Real burns or scalds may be caused, for instance, by the contact with hot matter or articles, such as flames, hot liquids or burning bodies, or also by an excessive exposure to radiation sources, including the sun.
According to the current clinical classification, a burn may be of first, second or third degree, depending upon the gravity of the lesion.
The first-degree burns are limited to the superficial layers of the epidermis and are characterized by local erythema (redness) and light edema (swelling); the second-degree burns involve a damage extended to the dermis, more marked edema and formation of blisters containing serous exudate, and the third-degree burns are accompanied by a true destruction of the structural elements of the skin, with formation of blisters, sores and the presence, in the most serious cases, of charred zones. In the most critical cases the involvement is extended to general phenomena, such as shock, acute intoxication and anaemia.
In most cases, in agreement with the various levels of severity, recourse is made to the topical administration of remedies that should exert a range of different actions, including an analgesic action, a stimulating action on the reparative processes of the skin tissues, i.e. an action promoting healing of the lesions, an anti-inflammatory action and, moreover, an antiseptic action, in order to prevent the occurrence of secondary infections on the affected zones.
Actually, the injured tissues are particularly prone to the development of infections, which obviously hinder a rapid and complete healing of the skin.
In the use of the above and of other possible remedies against burns, a timely application is extremely important. It may be anticipated that the therapy will be the more effective the shorter is the time elapsed between the event that caused the lesions and the application of the remedy on the said lesions. Suitable products may be in the form of ointments or salves, creams, emulsions, gels, foams, sprays or medicated dressings or bandages, which must be directly applied on the affected zone and must be kept into contact with the lesion, if necessary by soaking the dressing from the exterior with further product, until the reparative process is seen to stably proceed.
In the past, skin burns have been covered with dressings such as salves, vaseline, and fibrous or synthetic polymer bandages, in an effort to prevent dehydration, protect against heat loss, prevent bacterial infection, and to maintain a moist environment about the wound to facilitate debridement. Conventional bandages are made of materials such as natural or synthetic fibers. One problem with such conventional covers is that, as the skin exudes serum and pus, this exudate is absorbed by the bandage. This proteinaceous material provides a culture medium for bacteria. Further, as the exudate hardens, the bandage is likely to become adhered to the skin. As the bandage is removed, the scab is also frequently removed. This can be extremely painful.
Various compounds have been developed as an alternative to, or for use with, bandages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 85,385 (Hughes) teaches a medicinal compound suitable for treatment of skin ailments including burns, which composition is made by mixing and simmering cider-vinegar, molasses, spirits of turpentine, salt, saltpeter, oil of vitriol, and olive oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 321,839 (Neuer) teaches a medicinal compound for treatment of skin wounds, comprising thymol, boracic acid, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, and oil of wintergreen.
U.S. Pat. No. 390,534 (Tomlinson) teaches a lotion for treatment of sores, wounds and the like, comprising water, gambier extract, salt, and sulphuric acid.
Exemplary of these is U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,755 (Grana), which teaches the application of sodium polyacrylate powder as a dressing over the skin burn area, and wetting the powder such as by spraying with distilled water, until the powder becomes moist. The outer wetted surface of the moistened powder dries to form a parchment like surface, and may remain in place for 2–3 weeks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,019 (Georgalas et al.) teaches a skin treatment composition for treating burned skin, which composition is capable of counteracting moisture loss and promote healing, and which comprises a moisturizing component formed of polyglycerylmethacrylate, glycerine, allantoin, panthenol, amino acid complex, and fibronectin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,890 (DiPippo) discloses a burn treatment product in the form of a water-soluble, biodegradable gel, the active ingredients of which are water and Tea Tree Blend. A gum material is used to maintain the water and Tea Tree Blend in a gel state.
A number of compositions have been developed for the treatment of skin burns, but these compositions contain medications, which are expensive and not readily available.
In each case discussed above, the composition is either expensive or is formulated from ingredients which is not readily available or is not found to be entirely effective. Further, the application of various of the prior art compositions to a burn may require medical training and constant attention. Further, various patients may have reactions to certain of the non-naturally occurring pharmaceutical compositions.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a topical composition for treatment of skin burns which eliminates or minimizes the above-mentioned and other problems, limitations and disadvantages typically associated with conventional topical compositions, and to provide a topical composition which is inexpensive, easily obtainable, simple to manufacture, easy to apply and use, reliable, storage-stable, and which does not necessarily require medical professional to administer.